1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to circuit board mounting devices and, more specifically, to standoff devices used to mount one circuit board to another circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Standoffs are commonly used in the electronics industry to securely hold one circuit board (e.g., a motherboard) to another circuit board (e.g., a daughterboard). A standoff typically has two ends to which the circuit boards are fastened. For example, one end of a standoff is securely fastened to a motherboard. Once fastened, a daughterboard is fastened to the other end (i.e., the end opposite the end to which the motherboard is fastened) of the standoff. Thus, standoffs function as a mechanical mating device that securely hold the motherboard a fixed distance apart from the daughterboard.
Many conventional standoffs use a screw to securely fasten the standoff to the motherboard. One major drawback with such conventional standoffs is that they are difficult and time consuming to fasten to the motherboard. The use of screws necessitates that the motherboard has a hole to receive the screw, and that there is access to the bottom of the motherboard in order to fasten the screw. It may not be convenient to provide access to the bottom of the motherboard to fasten the screw during the production process. Furthermore, the standoffs are typically fastened using a manual and labor-intensive process, which introduces additional cost and time to the motherboard manufacturing process.
What is desired is a standoff that can be easily and efficiently fastened to a circuit board without the use of a screw. What is also desired is a standoff that can be automatically fastened to the circuit board during the circuit board manufacturing process. Furthermore, a standoff suitable for being automatically fastened to a circuit board using machinery typically used in a conventional circuit board manufacturing process is also desired.